For the Love of a Son
by Archaeologist
Summary: Jacen Solo's lust for power is the pathway to the Dark. Luke and Mara Skywalker try to rescue their son, Ben. During the Legacy of the Force series. AU now that the Sacrifice book is out.
1. Chapter 1

**For the Love of a Son  
Summary:** Jacen's lust for power is the pathway to the Dark. Luke and Mara try to rescue their son.  
**Genre:** drama, PG  
**Characters:** Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, Jacen Solo  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Luke Skywalker or Mara Jade Skywalker or Ben Skywalker or Jacen Solo or the Star Wars concept; Lucasfilm does. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No credits have changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

"It's a trap."

Luke Skywalker knew better than to argue with his wife - he had learned that well enough in the long years since they first met - but he could not deny her reasoning. It was a trap, one they were stepping into quite willingly.

_Like shadowmoths to the proverbial flame._

Apprehension slithered down his back at the grim thought but he did not allow his focus to waver. Instead, nodding vaguely in her direction, he leaned forward for a better view of their destination.

Beyond the shuttle's transparasteel window, the planet loomed dark and hot-red, glowing fiercely in the black void of space. Smoky clouds of noxious gases billowed into its atmosphere and the surface below seemed to be a chaotic wreckage of lava flows and congealing rock. Every so often, asteroids and other debris streaked past the spacecraft and then moments later, bright splashes of molten-core crimson would vomit across the obsidian-dark surface.

No wonder someone had named it Hell's Gate. It was a perfect place to trap the unwary.

Luke sat there, staring down at the planet, thinking about what to do next. The scene was beautiful in its own deadly way but he ignored it. Instead, he was more concerned with the Force's warnings, that down there on the surface was the key to success or the saber thrust of failure. Filled with a strange foreboding mixture of old pain and new, jangled conflicting whispers of dangers past and present and future, the Force was telling him - there had been desperation and death once on that fiery planet and there would be again. Soon.

He didn't like it... at all.

But he had no choice. Ben, his only son, was down on the surface and he wasn't going to allow the boy to remain there for one more day. Jacen Solo may be turning to the Dark but there was still a chance for Ben.

"Skywalker, are you listening?" Mara's irritated, concerned voice broke through his concentration.

She hadn't called him Luke in almost two weeks, ever since they had received the information about Jacen's latest killing spree and how he'd involved Ben in the murders. Her anxiety was pouring into the Force and it only added to the bitter black currents that twisted around them both.

"Mara, I know." He nodded slowly, trying to keep his own fears from blinding him. He could almost taste sour failure in the back of his throat but he fought it off. A defeatist attitude would not help him. He had to concentrate, to try and negotiate through the myriad pathways in the Force, to find a way to rescue his son before it was too late. "We need to be cautious... both of us."

Glaring at him in sharp fury, his wife spat out, "I want my son back. I want my son away from that murderer."

He wanted the same thing but Luke had to be realistic. Mildly, he reminded her, "Ben may not want to come with us."

"He won't have any choice." Mara's hand slapped the controls, tugging at one of the forward thrusters with bone-shaking force and the shuttle tilted, whining in response. Beyond the transparasteel, a large chunk of primeval debris streaked past, plunging into the atmosphere.

As the meteor hit the surface and crimson-core lava fountained upward, Luke said, "Jacen may have something to say about that."

"Let him try." Mara's voice was cold as deepest space.

Luke turned toward her. She had insisted on piloting the shuttle, arguing that it would give her something to do besides worrying about Ben but it hadn't worked. If anything, she was more angry now than when they had started on this journey. He knew that they would have to come to some kind of accord if they were to succeed, especially against Jacen Solo.

But when he looked again at Mara, for a moment, he couldn't breathe. The glow from the planet's fiery surface had stained her pale face in red-brown. Like old blood, he realized, shivering at the thought.

With determined effort, he pushed away the image, saying softly, "He has had every opportunity to turn our son into someone we may not even be able to recognize. The latest news only confirms that Ben was involved in that terrible massacre and he seemed to be there willingly. He may have already become dark, Mara."

"Skywalker..." She shot him a look of pure disbelief before turning back to pilot the ship.

Reaching over, his fingertips tried to follow the smoothness of her cheek but she jerked away. He had to be content to rest his hand on her shoulder, wordless apology in his touch. "We will bring him back but he may fight us." She stiffened under his hand as he said, "You know he will want to stay with his... Master."

Roughly, Mara shrugged him off. "Why are we arguing about this? Don't you want your son away from Jacen?"

He huffed defeat. His wife could be more stubborn than any nerf when she thought she was right. Abandoning any attempt to placate her, Luke said clearly, "Yes, but since this is a trap, we need to go into it with clear minds and a steady focus."

"Skywalker, you are... " Her eyes flashed green fire as she reminded him, "While you were playing with womp-rats back on Tatooine, I was already infiltrating operations worse than this. And succeeding."

"Mara, I know, I know." Shaking his head, he frowned at her, pointing out, "But your focus is on Ben when it needs to be on Jacen. He is the one who is likely to attack, not our son." He drew back, turning away and staring down at the molten planet. For a moment, he said nothing, just watched as another meteor broke through solid rock, liquefying it and sending core-red lava skyward. The Force shuddered with alarm.

Drawing in a deep breath and letting it out, trying to break through the anxiety that was swelling with every heartbeat, Luke said, "If we want to get out of this alive and with Ben, we must be cautious."

She was having none of it. Shoving a tendril of bright hair out of her face, Mara glared plasma in his direction. "Blast it, we have been too cautious. Allowing Jacen to do all those terrible things... torture and assassination and.. turning everything we've fought for all those years into chaos. And for what? Political gains and appeasing the fools on Coruscant?" Her voice had been rising with every word but now it fell, ice-cold and very, very decided. "Well, I've had enough. I'm taking Ben home and no one - not Ben, not Jacen, not even you is going to stop me."

"Mara..." There must have been something in his voice.

All at once, she let out a long shuddering breath, and eased back into her seat. Her hands, rigid with anxiety, opened slightly and even the shuttle's movement seemed calmer. Sending little glances his way, she was still frowning but she seemed more resigned than angry when she said, "Luke, I know that it will be difficult. I know that things might go badly down there. But I love him and I want him home. No matter the cost, I want him home."

Tenderly brushing aside her wayward hair, he said softly, "So do I. Just don't do anything foolish and get yourself killed. I couldn't bear to lose you."

She stared off into the distance, concentrating on piloting the ship but he could see the beginnings of a smile catching at her mouth. The lines there told of age and a lifetime of commitment and he loved every one of them although he would never tell her that. Even he wasn't that crazy. But she must have caught his thought because the smile deepened.

Her eyes focused on the looming planet, one hand steady on the shuttle's controls, Mara reached over and pulled him close. Gently, she murmured, " I have Luke Skywalker at my side. What could possibly go wrong?"

And then with a soft brush of fingertips, she let him go, turning back to piloting, all business and concentration as she started the landing cycle.

Luke just watched her, fiery beauty in motion, while the answer to her question clawed dread into him.

_Everything._

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Mara's reputation as a pilot was well-deserved. Setting the shuttle down on the platform with only a soft thud to indicate that they had landed, she put the craft's systems into stand-by mode and unbuckled her seat harness.

After coiling her hair into a tight knot, she leaned forward and retrieved her blaster, checking to see that it was fully charged. "The landing deck is fairly old. Pre-Empire by the look of it. It seems stable at the moment but I can't vouch for it long term."

Shoving the weapon into the holster on her belt, she stood there, frowning out toward the distance, not even looking in his direction. He could feel her attempting to reach out to their son, trying to find out where he was and if he was all right. But it was futile at the moment. Although they knew he was nearby, they could not pinpoint his location. Wherever Ben was, he was well hidden in the Force.

Luke said, "We won't be here long term. Just enough time to get our son and leave."

Nodding abruptly, she thrust her chin toward the half-melted ruins at the far side of the pad. "The entrance to the complex is a perfect place for an ambush. Plus he's had time to set up... obstacles and learn all the escape routes. He has a distinct advantage."

Luke looked more closely at their destination. The landing platform was pock-marked with dents and there were rusty puddles of old metal scattered on the surface. One section of the pad had disappeared, fallen or melted away sometime in the past. The remainder seemed solid enough, or so he hoped.

The low building that Mara had pointed out was nestled in among crystalline mounds of ragged rock. Farther away, black slag mountains soared skyward and there were numerous lava flows glowing red and orange and core-hot. Ash and small stones littered the landscape.

And everywhere, the reddish light stained the air in colors of dried blood and pain.

"The Force will guide us," he said softly.

She gave him the look, the one that all wives have given their husbands at one time or another - exasperated, disbelieving and on the very knife-edge of patience. "Skywalker, the Force is not helping here. All I can feel is danger."

"Do you want to leave? Come back later?" He could feel the growing pressure to withdraw from this course of action; the Force was warning of impending disaster and he would be a fool to ignore it.

But Mara only shook her head, nerf-stubborn. "No. Later would only make things worse. As I said before, I'm not leaving without Ben." With her green eyes daring him to stop her, she hooked on her lightsaber and started for the door.

"Mara, I..." She was always one to plow on, diving into danger, rescuing him from himself at times - in a way, protecting him. He wanted to say something, do something that would make her realize that sometimes he needed to protect her, that she was more important to him than words could say.

But she was too focused on the mission ahead of them both.

Instead, he said, "A blaster? I thought you gave those up long ago." At her sudden scowl, in a deep and stern voice, he intoned, "A Jedi needs only his lightsaber and the Force."

It had the effect he was hoping for. She huffed mock indignation at him, shaking her head. "Han would tell you that there is nothing like a good blaster at your side." Then her eyes glittered as she raised one eyebrow and smiled smugly, "But you are assuming I'll be using it as a weapon. Never assume, Skywalker."

An exaggerated sigh as he reminded her, "Luke."

She turned toward him, grabbing onto his tunic and brushing her lips against his. And when he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled back, nodding toward the exit.

"Luke. Now let's go get our son."

The heat was solid as duracreet, hitting them hard, making it difficult to breath. The smell of sulfur and burning rock didn't help but they pressed on, walking carefully toward the structure at the far end of the landing platform.

Mara's eyes were darting everywhere, looking for the beginnings of traps, and Luke was no less cautious. But, aside from the rumble of lavaflows and the occasional ping of cooling rock, there was no other noise. No inkling of humanoid life, certainly no welcoming sound of a son happy to see his parents again.

By the time they reached the building, they were both edgy.

Since that first trace of Ben's Force signature, he had disappeared from their senses. It could be that he was practicing some of the skills that Jacen had taught him or else he was deliberately hiding from them. Either way, it was not good.

Putting aside the frustration and growing regret that it had come to this, Luke took in a deep breath and stepped into the entryway. Mara was right behind him, muttering something about Jedi Grandmasters and how they should learn to let those with more undercover experience go first, but he ignored it.

Lightsaber in hand, he walked carefully in the narrow passage, focusing on the Force's guidance, waiting for the trap to spring. He didn't even glance at the scarred walls or the collection of splintered droid parts at his feet, although the narrowing of the corridor at midpoint gave him pause. Sometime in the past, there had been destruction on a massive scale but all that was left was a coarse wall of melted rock, too solid to booby-trap. He moved around it gingerly and kept going.

As the entrance widened into a large control room, he stopped, looking around, taking in the destroyed electronics, the consoles dusty and dark, the scatter of desiccated skin and bone fragments. There had been a battle here, some time ago, and no one had seen fit to come back and reuse the place as it was once meant to be used - a command center, perhaps for the whole planet but certainly for this region of Hell's Gate.

In a way, he was surprised. The planet was rich in minerals and energy, easily collected, and it was being ignored, wasted. He would have to discuss it with the bureaucrats of the Galactic Alliance once he returned with his son.

If he returned. The Force wasn't exactly clear on his future at the moment.

Shaking himself free of introspection, he felt Mara's presence next to him. He glanced over to see her clutching her lightsaber, her eyes glittering hard in the subdued light. He said softly, "No traps in the entryway. Let's see what kind of reception we'll get further in." And he stepped into the room.

Lights glared on, bathing the whole area in white light. Flinching back, eyes blinking to clear his vision, he sent his senses outward but there was not a ripple in the Force. Of course, that didn't mean much. Jacen was very good at hiding.

But the lighting told Luke that there had been some work done to bring the station up to livable standards. There was also a faint reduction in temperature that became more evident as they moved guardedly toward the center of the room.

Mara tilted her head slightly, first toward the left and then to the right, indicating possible escape routes or hiding places. More than one exit and they would need to explore all of them in time.

With the exception of the bright lights, there was no other indication of life, only the sound of harsh breathing - Luke's own, he realized, and Mara's. But as he moved left, he could hear the faint slap, slap of footsteps coming fast.

One shared glance and they both flanked the opening, flattened against the walls, out of sight of whoever was hurrying toward them. Of course, their cover was useless against Force users. Even with practice, they had never reached Jacen's level of control, but any advantage would be welcome at the moment.

Lightsaber at the ready, Mara looked determined and dangerous. She patted the air, telling him to wait, and Luke nodded. His own lightsaber felt rough in his palm but there was no time for anything else, only one deep breath and...

Ben ran into the room.

As the boy pivoted, his hand was already grasping at the blaster at his side. A microsecond later, Ben was crouched down and ready, the weapon's muzzle pointing straight at Mara. Her saber came up, ready to deflect any shots but it wasn't necessary.

Their son froze, his blue eyes widening in astonishment as he looked at them both. A sharp, confused frown and then he rose slowly, his face reddening. "Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?"

Luke blinked in surprise. Ben hadn't felt them in the Force. What was going on?

As if he'd heard the thought and resented it, his son said too quickly, "I was focusing on my..." Then, biting his lip, obvious that he was uncomfortable talking about his training and knowing full well that they would not approve, he asked again, "What are you doing here?"

"Ben, it's been months since we've seen you last. You've grown." As she was talking, Mara hooked her lightsaber to her belt, and went over to him, her hand outstretched. Luke could tell that she wanted to pull Ben into a warm hug, to let him know how much they had both missed him.

But he backed up, out of reach. "Mom, I'm training. I have to be with my Master for that." Shoving the blaster into his belt, he straightened up and looked at them both, his face set stone-stubborn as only a Skywalker could be, "Whether you like it or not, I'm an apprentice now."

Mara opened her mouth to say something but Luke was faster. "You are not officially an apprentice of the Jedi Order, not with Jacen Solo as teacher."

Scowling, Ben shook his head. "He is my Master." He folded his arms tight against his chest, his body settling into a rigid, immovable stance, clearly refusing to hear anything unfavorable about Jacen Solo. "Dad, I'm sorry that you feel that way but I need to be with him right now. He's helped me a lot and I..."

Cutting across his explanation, Mara had heard enough. "Your Master has murdered hundreds of Corellians, ordered assassinations, tortured innocents. He tried to kill his own parents, no matter how he tries to get around it. And he's taking you with him into the Dark." She stalked toward their son, her green eyes flashing fire. "I heard about your latest foray on Coruscant, how you participated in the murders of those poor people. And I won't allow it to happen again. You are coming home with us. No talk, no protests, no telling us about how wonderful Jacen is. Home. Now."

Ben's scowl turned to duracrete, the deep lines settling into anger and rebellion. "You can't tell me what to do any more, Mom. I'm Jacen's apprentice and I'll go home only if he tells me to go."

There was something to be said for stubborn sons but Mara was so much more than stubborn. If she thought she was right, she would move the universe with the sheer strength of her character. And nothing would stand in her way, certainly not a fourteen-year old son whose ideas of right and wrong were being subverted into darkness. Luke knew that in a battle of wills, Mara would win. Every time.

As fast as thought, she pulled out her own blaster. Pointing it straight at Ben, she said flatly, "You are going home with us. You can come willingly or not, but you are leaving this place."

"Or what, Mom? Are you going to shoot me?" Ben seemed incredulous.

"Only if you give me no choice." Luke stared at her in astonishment. Unbelievably, Mara looked quite at ease with the thought of shooting their only son.

Thinking that she must be losing her mind to threaten Ben like that, he was about to say something when she gave him a sardonic smile and tilted the blaster slightly in his direction. She said tartly,

"Skywalker, it's set on stun."

Ben scowled when he realized that he'd been outmaneuvered and began to back up out of arm's reach, his eyes darting around, looking for escape routes. But Mara wasn't about to let him go without a fight. "We need to leave. Now Ben, start walking or I will shoot you."

Trying to defuse an increasingly explosive situation, Luke warned, "Mara, if we take him by force, he'll just run away again. He needs to come because he wants to, not because we overpowered him."

"It's too late for that. We can argue about it on the ship." Glancing back at Luke for a moment, she shook her head and, with the blaster's muzzle, gestured for Ben to move toward the exit. "Can't you feel it? The darkness is rising fast. We have to get away before..."

"Before what, Aunt Mara?"

And Jacen Solo walked into the room.


	3. Chapter 3

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Mara snapped abruptly into battle stance, her blaster tracking to Jacen's position, her eyes glittering with grim intent - a sandpanther, all sleek, deadly lines and immense power, ready to spring when one of her own was threatened. Even from his position, Luke could see her evaluating exit strategies and the odds of survival in a firefight.

Although Luke was prepared for an attack, he was more willing to listen to what Jacen had to say first. His nephew had made choices that stank of corruption, had aligned himself with the forces of darkness, had become increasingly hungry for power at any cost, but there was also the possibility, however unlikely, that he might return to the Jedi and purge himself of the Dark. If only Luke could find the way to help him.

And now he had that chance. One last chance.

It was almost a relief when Jacen stopped just inside the entrance way. His face had been open, friendly but the smile drained away when he saw the blaster pointing at him. Gazing sadly at Mara and then, with more questions in his eyes at Luke, he said carefully, "Are you going to shoot me?"

"Only if I have to." But her stark reply was drowned in Ben's eagerness.

His face lit up like sunlight after a sandstorm, all smiles and trust. "Jacen, you're here." Shaking his head, his thin braid bobbing with the motion, he said hurriedly, "You need to talk to Mom. She's acting crazy. She says she's going to take me away but you're my Master. My place is with you."

Jacen's gaze flicked to Ben for a moment, and he started to move toward the boy, one hand open-palmed and reaching for his cousin, as if to comfort.

But Mara would have none of it. With a voice as cold as the space between galaxies, she said, "Keep away from him."

He stilled, looking at her, frowning, puzzled. "Aunt, I'm sure that there has been some mistake."

"Mom, leave him alone." Ben shifted closer to his cousin, glancing up at him with anxious eyes, then turning to face them. To Luke's dismay, their son scowled at his mother, the boy looking both worried and furious - as if they were the enemy and Jacen his heroic protector.

This was not good.

While some blame could be put on Mara's handling of the situation, he couldn't really fault her. He wanted Ben away from Jacen just as much as she did, and he had to admit that she was better at infiltration and retrieval than he could ever be - even if she did go in with lightsaber lit or blaster blazing away on occasion. It had saved him more than a few times.

But this was different. This was Ben's future at stake. Caution had to be the watchword here. It didn't help that the Force was thrumming with discord, that danger thickened the air.

Ignoring the blaster, Jacen leaned toward their son, giving him a tenuous smile. "Ben, it will be all right. I'm sure your parents are just worried about you."

Ben blinked confusion, shaking his head and twisting to look at Luke. His face was flushed, hot with indignation. "This is crazy. He hasn't done anything wrong. Dad, can't you do something?"

But before Luke could say anything, Mara snapped back, "No mistake. You are coming home with us, one way or another." And looking straight at Jacen Solo, she said, "And your Master is not going to interfere."

"Is he leaving?" Jacen's face hardened into stone. "My apprentice appears to be quite unhappy at the thought. I would think that you would want what was best for your son."

Straightening, his arms hanging loosely, his hand brushing against his saber at his side, Jacen stared at Mara with challenge, banked anger behind his gaze, looking almost as if he were truly upset that it had come to this, that they were wrong to take away his apprentice without regard to Ben's wishes.

But Mara was having none of it. "You are not what is best for my son."

The frown Jacen shot her could have melted durasteel. Glancing down at Ben for a moment, he gave a slight shrug, and then stared back at her. His voice heated, he managed to sound affronted, almost incredulous, and deeply hurt by her accusation. "Apparently neither are you, if you are willing to kidnap him." Nodding toward her weapon, he pointed out, "He must make his own choices and if that means sacrificing his time with you in order to grow, then that's his choice, not yours."

Luke knew that confrontation would not get them any closer to leaving nor would it help his hoped-for attempt at reconciliation. And while he didn't truly believe that his nephew was acting in Ben's interest, Jacen also wasn't using force against them. For the moment.

There was only one thing to do.

Reaching out, a slight brush of fingertips on her arm, Luke motioned for Mara to lower her blaster. She was still looking at Jacen but, at his touch, her mouth abruptly flattened, stark white with defiance, her whole demeanor rigid. Her eyes flicked to his and they were green stone, opaque with mutiny. Crackling tension between them, he hadn't seen her, hadn't felt her this angry in many, many years. And he knew that, once they were free of this planet, he was in for a fierce round of husbandly denunciation - perhaps even banishment for a time. But he had to take the risk. There was no real alternative.

She glared blaster-bolts at him but, with a sharp click, she shoved the weapon back into her belt.

Ben let out a relieved sigh and murmured under his breath, "Thanks, Dad."

Bowing his head for a moment in gratitude, Jacen agreed, "A wise decision, Uncle."

Close enough to hear Mara's throaty contempt of the situation and his part in it, Luke ignored her scorn for the moment, saying instead, "Ben, I understand that you wish to remain with Jacen but we are concerned for your well-being. Your participation in the Galactic Alliance Guard activities is unacceptable. To me, to your mother and to the Jedi. I feel that it would be better if you would come back with us and regain your balance in this."

Jacen shook his head. "Ben has given you his decision. You should accept his choice in this matter."

"He is our son and we must do what we feel is best for him. Not you." Luke said firmly, "Your choices have not been exactly spotless, Jacen. Murder, torture, assassinations..."

"I did what was necessary for the good of the Galactic Alliance. I won't deny it." As Jacen lifted his head in defiance, his back stiffened ramrod-straight, he was the personification of wounded dignity. "If you have problems with the GA goals, perhaps you should take it up with them."

Luke shot back, "It's not their goals that is the problem. It's your methods that bear scrutiny and restraint. Or have you forgotten that compassion should always be your first choice?"

Jacen just shook his head, annoyance in his voice. "Compassion is all well and good when they aren't shooting at you, Uncle."

"And helpless prisoners? Torturing them..." He could barely keep the bile from rising in his throat at the thought. That his nephew could do this, that anyone could, made him feel unclean.

Apparently, Jacen Solo did not share his distaste for inflicting pain on defenseless beings. Shrugging away the question, one hand fingering the saber at his side, he said impassively, "They had information about traitors. It is an effective means of finding out where the terrorists were hiding."

Unable to hide the dismay in his voice, Luke warned, "It is of the Dark."

"It will help bring this conflict to an end. Since the Galactic Alliance has seen fit to promote me and approves my actions in these matters, there is nothing else to say." Lifting his chin, staring at them both with dark eyes, Jacen stood there - distant, determined, and with a calm that would be the epitome of Jedi restraint under other circumstances. "Unless... besides kidnapping Ben, you have come to arrest me."

Ben seemed horrified at the idea. Edging closer to his mentor, he scowled, "You aren't going to, are you, Dad? Mom?"

Shaking his head, Luke looked first at Ben with some concern, and then, frowning thoughtfully, at his nephew. "I don't have the authority to arrest you, Jacen, as well you know. The Jedi Order follows the law and since you have been working for the Galactic Alliance and under their jurisdiction, there is little I can do to stop you right now."

He could hear Mara shifting impatiently beside him but his focus was solely on Jacen. "But I will no longer allow our son to participate in GA activities. Choices or not, I will not sacrifice his future for political gain. He is coming back with us."

"No!" Ben looked frantically among the adults, his anxious gaze going from his cousin to Luke to Mara and back again. "No, I need to be with Jacen. We do good work in the GA. We are helping the war effort and I..."

Interrupting him, Mara said sternly, "You murdered two people, Ben. Two lives gone because of you."

He looked ashamed, stricken with guilt, thoroughly contrite. Shuffling his feet, Ben mumbled, "Mom, I didn't mean to hurt them but they were in the middle of a firefight. If they had just stayed inside like we told them, they'd still be alive."

That answer only made Mara more indignant. "So you are blaming them for your actions? Their families are in mourning because of what you and Jacen did."

Biting his lip, he looked even more guilty than he had before. His voice kept rising as he tried to explain, "No, I'm not blaming them but you can't think that I did it on purpose. It was an accident."

"Accident? That you were sweeping through terrified people, lightsaber in hand, and you just happened to cut them down. Like meat." Her face was thunderous, a deep frown cutting into her skin, mouth pinched white as she spat out her denunciation. But, for all her obvious anger, Luke could still see the grief in her eyes.

Ben's hands lifted up, protesting, "No, it wasn't like that."

"Ben, I saw the vids."

"Mom..."

Straightening, she lifted her chin; her eyes were a green storm of determination and uncompromising will. "No arguments. You are coming back with us and that's the end of it."

For a moment, no one spoke. Ben turned ash-white, scowling down at the floor and then sending little indignant glances toward his cousin as if expecting him to protest. Mara was staring at their son, her slim body arrow-straight and as unyielding as neutronium. Jacen merely stood there, stolid and unresponsive, a troubling blank spot in the Force.

And Luke was becoming very confused. This is not what he had expected.

His nephew was remarkably calm during this confrontation, argumentative yes but showing no true signs of darkness.

He knew that Jacen's actions over the last several months had been as unacceptable to the Jedi as it was unacceptable to Luke; the torture of helpless prisoners alone should have been enough to recall him back to the Temple. But the increasing discord among the Jedi and the GA's insistence that Jacen be allowed to continue had put Luke in a difficult position. He had desperately wanted his nephew within the serenity of the Temple. But he also knew that Jacen had been gathering forces, both political and military, for some power play of his own.

Luke could have accepted that his nephew wanted some control over a life that had had little of peace but his methods stank of the Dark. And with each new murder, with every new drop of innocent blood spilt, the shadows seemed to gather more tightly around Jacen, shrouding him in darkness, pulling him closer to the abyss.

Some claimed that he had already fallen, that it was just a matter of time before he made his move.

Much as it pained him, however deeply he wanted to believe otherwise, Luke had expected a trap here on Hell's Gate - for Jacen to fight with him, hold him hostage, to use him as a bargaining chip with the Jedi or worse, try to kill him. With the Grandmaster of the Order dead or incapacitated, the Jedi would be thrown into chaos for a time. Then the Galactic Alliance would be free to collapse into a police state with Jacen comfortably settled into a position of supreme power. All the signs pointed to it.

But the trap had not sprung. Instead, there was this simple disagreement. It didn't make sense.

And Luke hoped, with everything he had in him, that he was wrong about Jacen Solo.

Finally, it was his nephew who broke the impasse. With a loud, resigned sigh and an apologetic smile, he turned toward Ben. "Perhaps it would be wiser if you went back with your parents for now." His son tried to object but Jacen ignored his protest. "You do need further lightsaber training and it is much easier to get it at the Temple. I'm too busy at the moment to train you properly in the techniques. After a time, I'm sure that they will be more willing to listen about returning when you've shown them you are serious about your choices."

Scowling, the boy wouldn't take no for an answer. "But I want to be with you. That's where I belong."

Putting both hands on Ben's shoulders, Jacen bent down a little so that they could look at each other, face-to-face. In a very serious, no-nonsense voice, he said firmly, "Ben, we all must make sacrifices for the greater good. That's what Jedi do. Your dad has sacrificed his time with you in order to fight in the war; your mom did the same. They laid their lives on the line dozens of times, willing to sacrifice themselves so that others might live, people they never even knew. My own brother, Anakin..." He stopped for a moment, swallowing hard and then said, "sacrificed his life. So did Chewbacca. To help others. To make things better."

Ben's shoulders slumped in resignation. "But Jacen... I don't see how going back will help. I'm willing to do what it takes to end the war. How can I do that, hiding at the Temple?"

"You will know." Straightening up, standing tall and resolute, Jacen said firmly, "Ben, I want you to go back. Just for a little while. It would be better that way. Think of it as a mission."

The boy frowned down at his boots, and said in a small, unhappy voice, "Yes, sir."

"Thank you, Jacen." Luke breathed a sigh of relief. This would make things a lot easier.

"No thanks are necessary, Uncle. It will be good for Ben to interact with some of the others at the Temple. But before you leave, I would like to talk with you a moment." Jacen glanced at Mara, frowning at her obvious impatience to be away from the planet and away from him. He shifted uncomfortably and said, "Alone."

Mara's reply was instantaneous. "I don't think that's a good idea. We need to get back. The situation with Corellia is heating up again and the Jedi have been asked to mediate."

"Aunt, it will only take a few moments. I have something of a personal nature to talk over with my uncle." His eyes shifted away, and his face colored slightly; he looked almost embarrassed. "You could get Ben settled into the ship and Uncle Luke will be there before long."

If Luke didn't know better, he would have said that Jacen had romantic problems and wanted to talk with someone older and more experienced. His actions certainly gave that impression. But the Force was not quiet. Instead, it was roiling, its currents twisting around them, smoky tendrils of shadow obscuring every pathway, making it difficult to see motivation or possible futures. All Luke could sense was the bitter taste of impending danger.

It appeared that he had not misjudged Jacen after all. This had all the markings of a snare-trap.

Alone, he would be more vulnerable to an attack and he had to admit that he wasn't young any more. He could lose... badly. But this also gave him the opportunity to try and reason with Jacen.

Mara, much as he loved her, could sometimes be impatient, all too obstinate, and very protective. And they had to get Ben away from him before it was too late.

He had faced evil before in his family and survived it, bringing back into the Light his own father. And he did love Jacen and mourned what he had become. Perhaps he could turn his nephew around.

He had to try.

"I have a few minutes to spare." Touching her sleeve with tender care, he said quietly, "Mara, take Ben back and start prepping for take-off."

Worry turned her face dread-white. Sneaking glances toward Jacen who was talking quietly to their son, she clutched at Luke's hand, whispering furiously, "Skywalker, I don't think..."

Smiling, nodding as if agreeing with her, knowing that she was thinking of how to get him out of this, how to get them all out and knowing, too, that any resistance on both their parts would only end in disaster for her and perhaps for Ben as well, he murmured, "Mara, please. Get Ben out of here. It will make it easier on everyone."

The Force seemed to clot around her, her anxiety creating discordant ripples in the currents. Gripping his fingers tightly with her own, Mara pulled him close, scowling at him and hissed sharply,

"Skywalker, this is the stupidest thing you've ever done. I won't..."

Interrupting her before she could say anything else, aware that their conversation could be overheard, he said. "Mara, Ben must be your first priority. I will be along shortly." He sent her a tentative smile, "Trust me."

"That's Han's line and you know what kind of trouble he gets into." She said tartly but her eyes were liquid in the light. "And then you have to keep rescuing him."

"Well, next time, I'll let you rescue him." He turned serious, "And Mara, the name is Luke."

She nodded, hesitating, as if she wanted to say more but could not, certainly not in front of Jacen Solo. "Luke, I... "

Squeezing her hand and then lifting his fingertips to brush one errant tendril of bright hair from her face, he said, "I won't be long." And then he let her go.

For one fleeting moment, as she looked into Luke's determined face, Mara seemed uncertain, her eyes a green-storm mixture of exasperation and dread. But she was not one to show vulnerability, especially where a potential enemy could see.

Her gaze flicked over to where Jacen stood; he was still whispering urgently to Ben. In the Force, Luke could feel her alarm at the sight, knots of worry colliding with urgency, ripples of cold grey that were swirling into the already-unsettled omens of impending disaster.

Ben was hovering too close to his cousin, both of them arguing and gesturing with the familiarity of long association, muttering to each other like co-conspirators. Their son kept frowning back toward them, too. Apparently, much as Jacen had supported their insistence on him returning with them, Ben was not happy about the situation.

Neither was Mara. Scowl hardening quickly into durasteel, she twisted back to Luke. "I better get Ben to the ship," she nodded toward Jacen, "before he changes his mind."

There was something in her voice that set off claxons in Luke's mind. He had expected Mara to argue more strenuously to remain as backup or else for him to leave with them both. This capitulation was too unlike her - which meant she was planning something.

Brilliant in undercover work, she was one of the most knowledgeable fighters he had ever known, powerful and with a flowing grace that was unbelievable at times, but she was focused, always focused on her goal. Determined, intense and beautiful. He loved her very much but she could be a liability at times. Like now.

And there was only one thing that would make sense. Hoping that he was wrong, he said softly, "Mara, promise me you'll wait on the ship. With Ben."

He wasn't wrong. The glare she sent him could have melted rock. Drawing back, arrow-straight and rigid with fierce indignation, she snapped, "I said I'd leave you here to talk with him, didn't I?"

Her eyes dared him to cross her, at his own peril. The unspoken threat, the way she fingered her blaster as though remembering the first time she'd promised to kill him and only now considering actually doing it, reminded him of how much they had been to each other over the years.

But it didn't change the fact that he needed to talk with Jacen. Alone.

"Promise me, Mara." Flat, resolute. He had to make sure she knew that he would not yield in this.

Narrowing into slits, her eyes were banked wildfire. "Have it your own way, Sky..."

One look from him and she bit off the rest. But as Mara stalked toward their son, displeasure clacking sharp in boot-heel precision, Luke could hear her muttering under her breath about damn Jedi fools and husbands with martyr complexes.

Deliberately refusing to look in his direction, she stood next to Jacen, waiting impatiently while Ben said farewell to his cousin. Luke could see how upset she was, her body taut with emotion, one hand, white-knuckled and bone sharp, fisted on the hilt of her lightsaber, the other curling tight at her side.

He just hoped that Mara wouldn't try something foolish. It could get them both killed.

But before Luke could say anything else, Mara frowned down at their son, reminding him, "Ben, it's time to leave."

Sighing heavily, Ben shifted, glowering first at her and then, as if disappointed, at Jacen. As he turned toward the exit, his gaze fell on Luke and he scowled a bit, "Dad won't do anything, will he?"

"Of course not," Mara said quickly, her eyes meeting Luke's in puzzlement. That seemed an odd thing for Ben to say but there would be time later to ask, once they were safely away. "Let's go."

With that, she turned reluctantly, sending Luke one last anxious look, then hustled Ben out into the corridor and the landing platform beyond. Luke could hear the drift of shuffling feet and reluctance as the echoing noise faded in the distance.


	4. Chapter 4

Jacen was waiting patiently by one of the exits. As Luke faced him, he said simply, "Walk with me, Uncle."

The Force was full of shadows and the acrid taste of defeat. With every heartbeat, Luke could feel the danger growing, little scolds of desperation that whispered to him, telling him to escape before it was too late. But he ignored it.

For each moment that he waited, Mara and Ben were a little closer to safety. It was enough. He patiently followed his nephew past the broken panels and crunch of old bones into the inferno beyond. Behind them, the light faded slowly into black.

Their silence led them to a balcony of some kind, warped with the heat. One end was completely buried in resolidified rock but the rest of it seemed stable. Beyond the railing, in the distance, molten lava plummeted over a sharp-edged obsidian cliff, sending clouds of smoke and choking ash into the air. A small sun failed to light the darkness; the only illumination was from the crimson glow of hot rock and the erratic splash of meteorite strikes.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry it had to come to this." Jacen was leaning against the balustrade, gazing out into the distance. His face was a map caught in reds and black.

Luke picked his way carefully over to his nephew's side. But he kept away from the edge, just as a precaution. The metal railing looked as fragile as spun glass.

"I cannot make you return to the Temple, Jacen, but you need to think about what you are doing, not just reacting to the political maneuverings of the GA. This path you are taking, it's wrong. Not just for the GA but for yourself. I know that you are better than this."

"I do what I must for peace and security in the galaxy. Perhaps you should remember that." Jacen shifted, looking at Luke with determination in his eyes.

"Peace is not won with the torment of innocents. Security is not found in wholesale murder." Luke shook his head. "Have you forgotten everything you learned at the Academy?"

"I forget nothing." Straightening up, his voice sharp as a vibroblade, he shot back, "Do not assume that I do this for my own pleasure. We must bring peace back to the galaxy before it is too late."

Even as he was trying to reason with Jacen, Luke knew he was failing. The frustration and urgency in his accusations would only alienate the man further, he knew, but desperation can make the best intentions go awry.

"Jacen, I understand the need for peace. I've strived for it my whole life. So have your parents. So have the Jedi. There are many ways to peace but murder is not one of them." Taking a step closer, he said quietly, "You've lost your way. Come back with me and we can work together to find it again. "

But Jacen just shook his head, and looked away, cool, impassive, alone.

For a moment, Luke tried desperately to remember the once happy child, the boy with his silly jokes and empathy for all living things, the energetic brown-eyed combination of Han's passionate loyalty and Leia's steadfast determination.

"What ever happened to the compassionate boy I knew? The Jacen I remember would never have done the things that you have done. He would have died first."

Now, there was only sun's-core heat in those eyes as Jacen snapped, "That boy died a long time ago. With Anakin."

For a moment, behind the fury, Luke could feel Jacen's Force signature and the grief buried there, unreliquished and festering. His own heart aching to comfort, he started to reach out to his nephew, wanting to connect with him and share his sorrow. There was something in touch that could never be expressed in mere words.

But Jacen jerked back, out of the way, and his presence in the Force vaporized as if it had never been. All that was left was a scowl and stone.

It hurt to know that there could be no connection, even one of solace. Sending his heartache into the Force, hoping that Jacen would feel it, hoping he would realize just how much Luke regretted Anakin's death, he softened his tone and tried again.

"Jacen, I'm sorry about Anakin. I still mourn his death and my part in it. I can't take back the past but I would change it if I could. His death was a great loss to us all."

His nephew appeared to be listening, but with every heartbeat, Luke could see that Jacen was withdrawing into some remote cold place that no one could touch, where no one could touch him. He had seen it before: in soldiers pushed beyond their limits, in refugees who had lost their families and homes, in victims of torture. It was a way of coping with the unendurable. But if left to fester, it could also morph into self-destruction or cruelty or even an insatiable lust for control.

His voice almost pleading as he tried to break through that icy wall, Luke said urgently, "But Anakin would not want you to lose yourself like this. Please, come back with us. We can help you regain..."

In Jacen's eyes, there was nothing more of grief or even recognition, only the hard-edged stare of a man who had tortured helpless innocents. "You have no idea."

"I do, though. I've made my own bad choices in the past, thinking that the use of the Dark side would help bring peace to the galaxy, that it would make everything better. It took your mother to bring me back."

Luke had almost destroyed everything he had ever cared about in those awful days. Countless beings had died and worlds destroyed because of him. The weight of it still pressed in on him, in the night. "The dark is seductive, warping your mind until you lose all sight of what is right. Until your choices twist you into something unrecognizable, a creature of evil. I know it too well." Shaking off the haunting memories, Luke said, "Come back, Jacen. Please."

"Always the compassionate one." There was pity in his mild words but he wasn't looking at Luke. Rather he was gazing out into the hellish scene beyond. "I was talking about sacrifice earlier."

If Jacen was trying to keep him off-balance with the sudden change in topic, it was working.

Blinking in surprise, Luke recovered quickly. Stepping closer, hoping to shake that cold calm and bring warmth back into Jacen's eyes, he said gently, "Your examples were good ones. But you left out your own. Your time on the worldship, your torture at the hands of the Vong and Vergere, marked you, saddened you to the point that no one could reach you. Not Jaina, not your parents, not me."

Despite the heat, Luke shivered slightly. His nephew was growing more remote by the second. "I couldn't help you, no matter how much I wanted to and I am truly sorry for that."

Shrugging off the attempt at reconciliation, Jacen seemed to be caught up in some agenda of his own. As another meteor streaked past, lighting the sky in red flame, he nodded out toward the smoky landscape. "Do you know where you are?"

So his nephew was going to ignore apologies and grief and pain. "Jacen, if you have something to say, then please say it. I will do everything in my power to help you regain your balance..." Smiling slightly, Luke tried to joke, "including braving the wrath of Mara." Then turning serious again, he said, "but you have to choose to accept my help. I cannot force you into it."

Jacen wasn't listening.

Instead, he frowned down past the balcony, apparently fascinated with the molten river far below. "It wasn't always called Hell's Gate. Darth Vader renamed it in the early days of the Empire. I could never find out its true name. But I wondered why Vader took the trouble to change it."

Much as Luke was curious, he was growing more alarmed by the moment. Jacen seemed off-balance, almost irrational in his somber ramblings.

And the Force was urging him to flee. Its currents were agitated, wild, a sludgy mixture of shadow and desperation, mirroring the chaotic churn of liquefied rock and black slag in the distant river.

He would be a fool to ignore the warning any longer. He had tried and failed to help Jacen and now all he could do was hope to escape before disaster struck.

Luke began to inch back toward the exit. He said mildly, "Bad memories, perhaps."

"I found the records eventually. My years of study away from the Jedi paid off." Jacen straightened up, glancing at Luke for a moment, and then brushed at his sleeve, as though trying to rid himself of dust. From behind Luke, there was a far-off rumble but he could not tell what caused it, only that the air seemed to grow suddenly warmer, and more dangerous.

His nephew ignored the sound. "I don't think Vader quite knew just how much it would cost him, to become Sith. It was easy enough to destroy the things that didn't matter to him. The Jedi, the Republic, people and things to which he had no loyalty or interest."

His voice softened, and he began to walk toward Luke, his hands loose at his sides. "But for the Sith, in order to gain ultimate power, a sacrifice is demanded, a sacrifice of the ones he loves most." He looked around, eyes flicking back toward the hellscape and then stared, unseeing, at Luke. "It was here he lost everything that truly mattered to him - his wife, his best friend, his hopes for a family, everything."

Blinking, Jacen suddenly came back to himself and smiled as he whispered, "His sacrifice to power."

Taking another uneasy step backward, Luke tried to remember what pitfalls lay between him and the doorway. The floor's surface was uneven and gritty with ash; it crunched sharply as he moved. "But my father loved me and he refused to sacrifice me, even when faced with his own death. He died, trying to save me."

Jacen just shook his head, almost regretfully. "Yes, in the end, he was no longer Sith. Compassion is a Jedi trait."

"And one you can regain. Come back, Jacen. It isn't too late." One last try to turn his nephew from the path he seemed determined to follow.

Jacen's eyes were full of red-streaked shadow, feverish with pity and resolve and decisions. Face hardening back into stone, he was adamant. "The Jedi... the Jedi have brought us nothing but chaos. When we needed strength, there was only weakness. When the people of the galaxy needed peace and security, there was only war."

His hand half-curling around his saber, Jacen took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders, his body spear-rigid with determination. He looked like a hero of old - tall, strong and certain of his choices. "It's time to change. I'll do whatever it takes, including sacrificing those I love, the ones most important to me, to make it a reality."

The Force was shrill with warning.

"What are you saying, Jacen?" Luke's voice was still mild but he was alert, his fingertips close to his saber. Force help him, he did not want to fight his nephew but he would if necessary, fight and kill if necessary. But the memory of a compassionate little boy and the thought that he might die by Luke's hand was almost overwhelming.

Jacen bowed his head slightly and then lifted it, looking straight at him. "I'm sorry, Luke, but I need the strength and power to stop this war for good. I can only do that through sacrifice."

Resolute and steady, Jacen said softly, "I have avoided this long enough. It is time to choose."

Then he stepped closer and, as the Force tore into chaos, Jacen's green blade was slicing through the air toward Luke's head.

"I have chosen you."


	5. Chapter 5

Luke never moved so fast.

Without thought, the Force guiding his hand, he jumped back, his bright blade already alive and thrumming wildly. Catching at Jacen's lightsaber, he pushed hard and the locked sabers began to move down toward the gritty floor.

But Jacen would not be defeated so easily.

Staring at Luke, his face durasteel rigid, his shadow-red eyes glazed with resolve, Jacen began to thrust more and more power into the struggle. And it was working. He was able to summon strength enough to gain some advantage, forcing his saber back toward Luke, back toward triumph and the sacrifice he demanded.

Luke could not let him win, not this time.

Focusing all his energy on his blade, ignoring the small part of him that was still grieving for the bright-eyed jokester, the thoughtful and generous boy that Jacen had been, Luke lunged forward. His arms were shuddering in effort as the two sabers shifted back and forth in a frenzied battle for domination.

Luke tried desperately to gain control. The blinding color, the dissonant whine of clashing lightsabers, the searing heat, and the crippling sorrow were all distractions that Luke could ill afford. He shoved them aside and focused on surviving his nephew's attack.

As he gathered in the Force, hoping to overpower Jacen's strength with his own, both blades dipped low. Brilliant green light scoured across the floor, melting sun-hot trails in the surface and peppering the air with sparks and burning metal. Acrid vapor billowed out.

Luke blinked away the stinging smoke but he did not hesitate, instead pushing his advantage as Jacen's lightsaber sank further into the flooring.

His nephew scowled, glaring at him, seemingly furious at the impending defeat and then his face smoothed into calm decision. Letting his lightsaber slip lower, Luke's blade following the movement, Jacen did something unbelievably stupid... or brilliant.

He turned his saber off.

It was madness but it worked.

Caught off-guard, Luke shifted forward, startled, his lightsaber scoring along the floor, sending molten sparks flying. It also put him squarely into Jacen's path.

As the Force screamed a warning, time seemed to liquefy and it was all Luke could do to twist away, to keep from being skewered as Jacen turned his saber back on. Even at that, there was a small blossom of pain across one arm. Luke hadn't been quite fast enough.

Ignoring the burn, he flipped backward, kicking at the ceiling as he spun around. With perfect form, he pushed off in a different direction, using the momentum to escape his nephew's unrelenting attack. Luke landed some distance away and he retreated as quickly as he could, down toward the far end of the balcony.

Jacen followed, droid-stubborn, deliberate, seemingly determined to murder one of his own blood. The man was relentless, his blade whirling faster than the eye could follow - an infinity loop of deadly green light. And behind it all, his face was set into a feral mask, his eyes glowing molten-red in the shadows.

Luke couldn't believe that this was happening. He knew that his nephew had fallen deeper and deeper into an abyss of hungry control, wanting to dominate everything and everyone around him but this was breathtakingly bad.

It had all the marks of a surreal holovid, the glowing lava, the heat, the shadows torn by bars of green light. A madman hungry for power.

That Jacen was willing to sacrifice his own family was horror enough but that he deliberately chose to become a Sith, knowing their history of endless wars, their passion for relentless devastation, was appalling.

Jacen, the child he'd watched grow into manhood, had plunged into insanity.

Shaking his head to clear the doubts from his mind, hoping to center himself enough to survive this, Luke backpedaled furiously. The floor was slippery with coarse rock, and uneven - as if the ground beneath them had buckled in the heat. As he moved, he could feel the sway of rotting metal under his feet.

Frantically, he searched for escape routes but there were none. The building was surrounded by rivers of lava and cooling rock and the balcony was a precarious extension of it, jutting out over the molten heat. There was no exit behind him and no way up or down, only the one doorway they had walked through earlier.

Jacen was blocking his only way out - and coming toward him fast.

Leaping back once again, far enough that it gave him time to try and reason with his nephew, Luke shouted across the distance, "Jacen, please listen to me."

"I've had enough talk." His nephew kept coming, his lightsaber dragging against the flooring, throwing metal sparks into the murky air, leaving a trail of molten destruction behind him.

Desperately, Luke said, "That isn't the Jacen I know. That Jacen would never align himself with the Sith. He would listen to all sides, be compassionate. You..."

"I've told you. He's dead." Jacen stopped a few meters away, close to the balcony's edge. Beside him, the railing was half-melted, rough and falling to pieces and Jacen's hand was busy there, pulling at it, savaging the metal under his fingers as if his anger could somehow shatter it into ash. "I'm finally doing the right thing, the only thing. You've brought us to war and I'm going to bring us back to peace. At any cost."

"Jacen..." One final plea.

But his nephew only shook his head, snarling, "Enough!"

In the Force, there was sudden frenzy as corruption poured into the currents, a roiling mixture of black desperation and filth. Poisonous shadow-clouds billowed, obscuring everything. Although he could not feel Jacen in the Force, Luke could almost see the power twisting around him - a noxious whirlpool of slime and gelled blood, shrouding him in darkness.

Danger shivered down his back. The Force was telling him to flee but there was nowhere to go. Instead, taking a deep, cleansing breath, centering himself, Luke waited for Jacen's final choice.

It didn't take long. His nephew lifted his chin, and with one hand, thrust the Force outward - but not toward Luke.

Instead, the air was filled with metallic moans. The railing next to Jacen began to fall apart and then shatter into slivers as sharp as broken glass. The fragments hovered above the ground for a moment as Jacen gathered them up with the Force and then he hurled them straight at Luke. A storm of cutting shards.

In an instant, Luke's blade was a globe of light, a shield to protect him from the carnage. The smaller pieces vaporized; the rest, half-melted wreckage, ricocheted, hitting the floor with chaotic clatter. The sudden prickle of pain as he moved away told him that some had gotten through.

Jacen's gaze turned savage. A slight flicker of his eyes downward, he brushed his hand against his sleeve, triggering something.

The Force was screaming danger again but there was no time to react.

Suddenly, from behind Luke, the balcony exploded into gouts of flaming debris.

His back a blaze of agony, he was flying through the air, pushed high and fast on the shockwave, moving toward Jacen's waiting saber. He only had enough time to send a short pulse of the Force outward, pushing his nephew backward a step, before the blades connected.

Luke's saber slid down along the other lightsaber, and he shoved it aside, trying desperately to keep from being cut into pieces. He tucked in and rolled past Jacen toward the exit, hoping to gain some distance before his nephew could take advantage of the situation.

That was a mistake.

Pain sheeted across his back, agony-pathways sluicing straight up into his brain. His vision reddened and then greyed as he slid across the floor, his throat abruptly raw as he tried not to scream. One part of him knew that he had left behind a trail of blood and bubbled skin from his burned back; one part was trying not to collapse into unconsciousness.

As he stumbled up, he could feel the chunks of grit and metal shards digging in, a collection of shrapnel and floor litter imbedded in his skin. He hurt - everywhere.

But he had no time. Gathering in the Force, trying to smother the pain under a blanket of will-power, Luke straightened, only to have to fend off another attack.

His saber a strobe-flash of blinding light, Jacen moved first low then high, stabbing, twisting at him, trying to find holes in Luke's defensive stance. Trying to kill him.

Jacen was pressing his advantage. And it looked like he was winning.

As Luke blocked each move, he could feel his abused body protesting, his reactions slowing. His back was still a map of agony and it was distracting him from Jacen's onslaught. He knew that he had to gain some control if he was going to survive this. And it didn't look like his nephew was going to make it easy.

Eyes hardening into durasteel, pushing past the pain, Luke fought back, matching every strike with his own. But he was also giving way, moving warily toward the only exit.

Another flurry of saber thrusts and Luke backed up further, trying to gather distance between them again. He needed time to think, time to regain his balance. Time.

Jacen's face was a mask of frowns, decided and very focused. He slid a little of the uneven pavement, and stopped, staring at Luke. No smile of triumph there, no gloating on how he'd injured the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, just business and a dogged determination that was more chilling than any madman's laughter.

"Jacen, think about what you are doing."

Shaking his head, his nephew said flatly, "I've thought about nothing else for months. Your sacrifice will ensure peace in the galaxy and security for all. It's the only way."

That he had been persuaded into this course of action was obvious and Luke had to wonder, not for the first time, if he was under some kind of mind-control. Sith were known to project hallucinations and warp perceptions over long distances. Lumiya, that dark Lady, was adept at mind tricks and lies, casting her net of deceit far and wide. If she had caught Jacen, twisted him somehow, it would explain this madness.

Whatever the reason, it would be highly unlikely that Luke could talk him out of it in the heat of battle. He needed time, more than just to survive. He needed time to figure out how to reach Jacen and turn him back to the Light. Somehow.

But before that could happen, he needed to escape.

"There's always another way, Jacen." As he spoke, Luke glanced back toward the exit. "The Sith have twisted your mind. Deep down, you know that this is wrong."

"I know what you are doing, Luke. Hoping to distract me and make your escape." Jacen thrust his chin in the direction of the doorway. "You can certainly try."

Luke would do more than try. But there was only one way out and it lay past that door and the room beyond.

Yet he hesitated. He had thought the balcony was safe enough. That Jacen had booby-trapped it was a devious, brilliant stroke. Luke was sure that there were more traps waiting for just the right moment. Although he had been in the same room just a few minutes ago, it was likely that it was more than just a half-decaying chamber with old bones, droid parts, and antiquated equipment. Very likely, a death-trap.

Mara had been right. Fool that he was, he had walked right into it.

Now, he had to extricate himself and run like hell before it snapped shut.

Drawing a deep breath, trying to ignore the knife-edged pain that pulsed along nerve-endings and slowed his movements, Luke began to edge his way free. There was only a few feet between him and the door. With some luck, he might actually make it into the chamber before Jacen caught up with him.

Watching him, his nephew smiled slightly, looking well-satisfied as he swept his saber back and forth, creating luminous designs in the murky air. "It's a trap, Uncle. You know it is. Accept your fate and I'll make it quick."

Luke was about to reply when overhead he could hear the rumble of something coming fast, not ship engines but more organic. The scream of superheated air and the sudden clatter of rock on the balcony roof made them both flinch - for good reason. A meteor ripped past, all eye-scorching light, spewing stones and heat, and plunged into the lava river below.

Instantly, a geyser of molten rock sprayed skyward and there was a tremendous roar. Gouts of boiling liquid splatted against the balcony's faltering shields but they held, for the most part. The heat was tremendous but they were still alive.

For the briefest of moments, Luke hoped that Mara and Ben were safe in the ship and then he ran into the darkened room, Jacen hard on his heels.

Lights blazed on but Luke was ready for it. He turned left toward the corridor leading out to the landing platform and then swung hard right, avoiding another sweep of Jacen's blade.

That fleeting glance had told him enough. He was trapped.

The door leading to the rest of the complex was shut, probably locked. The balcony they had just left was now engulfed in flame; Luke wasn't sure if it was from Jacen's own hand or because of the meteor strike but the cause was irrelevant - that path was now closed to them both.

More importantly, the way toward his ship was sealed tight. But, to his great relief, the center of the landing platform's door was glowing red and gold - no lightsaber blade cutting through but he could hear concentrated blaster fire pinging against the metal.

Mara to the rescue.

He jumped over the central podium, hoping to keep Jacen at arm's length a little longer. As he did, he could almost feel the buzz of danger grinding against his connection with the Force. In the electronic equipment lining the wall behind his back, the potential threat felt strong, and seemed to be the centerpoint of menace in the room.

Jacen couldn't get to him easily without leaping across the console and that would leave his nephew vulnerable. He looked furious, a blaze in his red-yellow eyes. He kept slashing at equipment, trying to reach Luke by hacking away at the barriers, and then flinging the pieces at him with the Force. The broil of melted fiberplast filled the air and there were sparks and growing smoke everywhere.

The ache of his injuries started to edge into agony again. But Luke wasn't about to be overcome so easily. With a great effort, he shoved the pain aside, concentrating instead on Jacen's actions. He backed up slowly, moving toward the exit, keeping an eye on the glowing doorway, ready to escape as soon as there was an opening.

As one large piece of machinery skidded past and crashed to the floor, Luke said, "Jacen, it doesn't have to be this way. You're ill. You've been blinded by Sith lies. They've twisted your mind..."

Jacen's laugh was harsh, rasping, "Blinded? I don't think so. You are the one who has been blinded. By weakness."

"Compassion isn't weakness, Jacen, but strength." He eased back, keeping distance between them. "But it's not too late. Come back with me. Together we can figure out how to end this war without..."

He knew that his nephew wasn't listening, that he was likely too far gone with blood-lust at the moment to listen to him. But until there was no hope, he had to try. "Jacen, please.."

Shaking his head, Jacen fingered his sleeve again. From behind Luke, cracking energy spat out, loops of electrical charges snaking across the equipment panels. He could feel faint traces of the current skittering across his skin, even at a distance, and his mechanical hand tingled. He knew that if he touched the surface, it could prove deadly.

It was obvious that his nephew had some type of device on his arm, one that controlled the traps. A vulnerable point. Jacen would have to protect it, whatever it was, if he wanted to control the fight. Of course, if Luke hit it, theoretically, the whole place could go up in a fireball to rival that last meteor strike.

It was time to fight back - carefully.

As another piece of equipment sailed toward him, Luke caught it and shoved it back, aiming for Jacen's arm.

A heated glare and, frowning, realizing that Luke was no longer defending but attacking, his nephew increased the barrage, picking up bones and leathery skin, droid parts as well as fragments of mechanical scrap. And in that hailstorm of debris, Jacen made his move, leaping across the central console, slashing downward toward Luke's head.

Luke pushed back, a Force shove that sent his nephew careening into the control center. With a harsh growl, Jacen was off-balance, blood blossoming on one arm as fiberplast stabbed into him.

Starting forward, Luke hoped to reach his nephew and force him to surrender without further bloodshed. But instead, Jacen flung out his hand, using all of his strength to try to drive Luke back toward the electrical chaos behind him.

Luke had anticipated it. With a great effort, he met power for power. For a few moments, they were equally matched - hands raised, almost touching. But he wasn't Grandmaster for nothing.

Letting go of restraint, letting go of redemption, letting go of everything except the will to survive this, he poured all his remaining strength into beating back the attack. He could feel Jacen faltering. A step back and his nephew was hard against the central console and still Luke pushed.

He could feel Jacen's fury rising, see his bloodied eyes filled with malice. But he would not relent. With one final thrust, Luke broke through, and slashing down at Jacen's saber, cut the hilt into pieces.

Standing there, his blade at the ready, Luke said, finally, "Yield."

Blinking down at his useless lightsaber, and then at Luke, Jacen straightened, "You think you've won but the Sith will rise again."

"Perhaps but not today." He pointed toward Jacen's sleeve. A black band was just visible beneath his tunic. "Take it off. Now."

His nephew's face hardened into stone. As he reached for it, Luke's lightsaber, steady and sure, followed the movement. "Carefully."

With exaggerated care, Jacen loosened the band and placed it onto the console. It seemed an intricate piece of jewelry, black jewels set into some type of metal. Even from a distance, it felt unclean. "How do I shut it off?"

"Afraid I might have set another trap?" His mouth flattened in distaste, fury and determination in his eyes. "I won't help you, Uncle. Every moment you live is a moment deeper in chaos. Your sacrifice would have brought peace to the galaxy. The Sith prophesies foretold it long ago."

Luke sighed. It was clear that Jacen was insane, even more so than when he was fighting him. At least, there he could almost understand the blood-lust. His nephew's recovery looked to be long and difficult but Luke was sure he would be reclaimed by the Jedi eventually.

But first he needed to shut down the remaining traps. One hand steady on his lightsaber, he used the Force to pull the black band into his flesh hand.

The darkness was even more pronounced as he fingered it, almost slimy in its slick metallic whorls and black stones. Taking a deep breath, centering himself, ignoring the pain and sharp reminder of blood and shredded skin, of the aching need for bacta and soon, he felt along the surface. A small nudge from the Force, he pressed against one stone and the electronic chaos behind him died away.

And Mara raced into the room, Ben hard on her heels.


End file.
